8th grader Neveah Hall, 14, right and Eli Marin, 13, right, work on math problems in Kelly Hutchings math class at Boston K-8 school in Aurora, Colorado on March 3, 2015. Hutchings is preparing her students for the upcoming PARCC exams.

Many Colorado students decided not to take the state’s new standardized tests last spring, and of those who did, few met or exceeded expectations.

The low scores were not a surprise, but the low participation rates, released with the scores Thursday, were much worse than expected and at some grades nearly half of what they were in previous years.

Among high school students, participation in the tests ranged from a low of 50.4 percent for the state’s 11th graders taking the English test, to a high of 70.5 percent of ninth-graders who took the same test.

The federal government requires a minimum 95 percent participation. Colorado officials are requesting a waiver, pending approval, to avoid punishing districts or schools that don’t meet that rate.

In 2013 and 2014 participation numbers by grade level did not drop below 97 percent. This year, in part because of an opt-out movement critical of the new tests, third-graders were the only group to reach a 95 percent participation rate in either the math or the English test.

“For me, it’s really about the high stakes,” said Lynn Roberts, a Denver parent of two elementary students. “I certainly don’t want my child or their peers losing important instructional time to a test that I don’t believe in.”

School and district level scores and participation rates will be released Dec. 11.

The new PARCC tests, short for the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers, were given to third through 11th-grade students earlier this spring.

Next year, only ninth graders will take PARCC tests in high school.

The tests replaced last year’s tests, to align with new state standards teachers started using in 2013-14. The tests are meant to analyze more critical thinking skills and are supposed to be more challenging.

Under the new tests, 38 percent of the state’s third-graders met or exceeded expectations in English language arts. Only 18.9 percent of the state’s eighth-graders met or exceeded expectations in math.

Breakdowns by subgroups, including by ethnicity and low-income status, show wide gaps with low-income students and Hispanic or black students performing at lower rates.

The same breakdowns for participation show that while there are some gaps among those who opted out, the low participation in high schools affected all groups.

For instance, among 11th-graders taking the English test, participation was lowest, 44.5 percent, among white students. Among Hispanic students participation was 61.3 percent, and 54.9 percent among black students.

Interim state commissioner Elliott Asp said the bar has been raised, and students are expected to improve.

Gov. John Hickenlooper said the scores aren’t a surprise — but should be taken seriously.

“We knew when we were setting these higher statewide standards that the first couple years there would be some sticker shock,” he said in an interview Thursday at the Capitol. “But that’s all right. Everybody understands you are resetting the bar. It’s still our same kids and pretty much every parent knows how well their kid is doing.”

Fifth-grade teacher, Jessica Moore, from Weld County, said part of the reason scores are low at first is because teachers need time.

“The biggest issue when you are transitioning standards is making sure districts provide teachers with adequate training,” said Moore, who also participated in developing the test. “Quite often there is not time built into the district or school schedule.”

Officials stressed the results are not comparable to past years’ tests, but rather serve to set a new benchmark for future years.

“Ideally we want every kid graduating college and career ready,” said Jeani Frickey Saito, executive director of Stand for Children Colorado, an education advocacy group. “This year’s results tell us how much work they have to do.”

Yesenia Robles was a breaking news reporter for The Denver Post, working with the organization from 2010-2016. She covered education, crime and courts, and the northern suburbs. Raised in Denver, she graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder and is a native Spanish speaker.

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